Patterning mechanism for circular knitting machines and method of knitting



'7 Shee'tsSheet 1 mvzinonS. w

1935- E. WILDT -r AL PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES AND METHOD OF KNITTING Filed Feb. 25, 1929 Oct. 22, 1935. E w T ET AL 2,018,164

PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES AND METHOD OF KNITTING Filed Feb. 23, 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 22, 1935. E. WILDT El" AL 2,018,164

PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES AND METHOD OF KNITTING Filed Feb. 23, 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 z wf/ zd Oct. 22, 1935. E wlLDT r 2,018,164

PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES AND METHOD OF'KNITTING Filed Feb. 23, 1929 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 29.15. VII/ E2 E. WILDT El AL 2,018,164

PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES AND METHOD OF KNITTING Oct. 22, 1935.

Filed Feb. 23, 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Oct. 22, 1935. E. wu 1' 1=:r AL 2,018,164

PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES AND METHOD OF KNITTING Filed Feb. 25, 1929. 7 Sheets-Sheet Oct. 22, 1935. E. WILDT El AL 2,013,164

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Patented Oct- 22, 1935 UNITED STATE rarrranme MECHANISM ron cmcumm iKNITTING mcnmss AND METHOD or xmrrmc Edwin Wildt and Henry Harold Holmes, Leicester, England, assignors to Wildt and Company Limited, Leicester, England, a British company Application February 23, 1929, Serial No. 341,874

19 Claims.

This invention consists in improvements in or relating to the knitting of fabrics on circular knitting machines and includes a method of knitting and mechanism for use in circular knitting The invention has particular reference to the knitting of wale-threads into the fabric and the latter may be knitted in lengths of may be in the form of hose or half-hose. The invention is illustrated in its application to the circular knitting machines and does not apply to flat frame machines.

Certain related features are described and claimed in our respective copending applications Ser. Nos. 433,987 and 433,988.

The type of mechanism contemplated by the present invention comprises a plurality of independent thread-guides, each of which controls substantially a separate and distinct wale thread or threads. The thread-guides are actuated to supply their wale threads each to a separate and distinct needle or to a separate distinct small group of, say, two needles. While it is preferred generally to supply a wale-thread to each needle, it is to be understood that a thread-guide may serve to supply a wale-thread to a group of two or more needles; and where reference is made herein to the allocation of a thread-guide to a needle it is to be understood that relative shoggingof the thread-guides and needles may be introduced from time to time and that such thread guide may be allocated to said group of two or more needles.

In such mechanisms hitherto where the laying in of the wale-thread has been discontinuous on the front of the knitted fabric, as, for example, where vertical rows of spaced diamond or other shaped patterns are to be produced with the aid of the wale-threads, loose threads have occurred at the back of the fabric between the end of one pattern element and the commencement of the next immediately following it in the length of the fabric.

An object of the present invention is to avoid whenever it is desired to do so the formation of such loose threads, particularly in non-ribbed fabric.

The invention is not, however, limited to nonribbed fabric, as it may be applied to ribbed fabric. The term wale threads is applied to the individual threads fed to the needles by the thread-guides and may be of the same colour as that of the ground thread, although, in practice, it is generally of a different colour.

In the production of knitted articles on a circular knitting machine in which vertically laid Great Britain March 16, 1928 wale-threads are plated on a ground-thread, the present invention contemplates interlocking the wale-threads at the back of the fabric by passing these threads around needles without entering the hooks of the latter. By this means the float- I ing threads, at the back of the fabric, may be re-' duced in number or length or entirely eliminated.

Although in non-ribbed fabric the wale threads which are passed round the needles without entering the hooks will actually show on the back 10 of the fabric, they will not show in the same manner in ribbed fabric. They will, in fact, be more or less buried in the thickness of the knitting but their occurrence in this position in ribbed fabric is to be understood as included in the above de- 1 scription' (and its equivalent in the appended claims) where it is stated that the wale thread; appear at the back without loose threads.

The term hook or equivalent expression used throughout the specification and claims is in- 20 tended to mean the hooked end of the needle whether of the latch or bearded type.

It will be understood of course thatour invention may be employed in the knitting of only certain portions of a whole fabric, hose or half-hose, these portions wherein the invention is employed being separated from each other, for example, by portions of fabric entirely without wale threads, or portions wherein wale threads are floated. Fig. 24 is illustrative of this.

Mechanism for producing fabric according to the present invention comprises in combination thread-guide actuating means which, on every course, moves each thread-guide through a complete feeding movement, and means to so dispose each of the wale-thread wrappings on their individual needles that sometimes the respective wale-thread wrapping is cast off its needle by the next succeeding operation of casting-off at the re- 7 spective needle and at other times is taken into the needle hook along with the newly laid ground thread at said next succeeding casting-0E operation and thereby drawn into a loop along with the newly laid ground thread.

The invention also includes patterning-mechanism of the type described having in combination thread-guide actuating means which, on every course, moves the thread-guide through a complete feeding movement, and selecting means for relatively adjusting the thread-guides and their appropriated needles to one of two alternative positions, whereby the thread is laid, either into the hook of the needle, or, alternatively, around the needle, but not into the hook- (for example, below the latch, or, in the case of a I beardedneedle, in such a position around the shank, that it does not enter the beard of that needle, as shown in the drawings to be referred to subsequently). I

Jacquard-actuated selecting means is preferably employed for determining the relative adjustment of the thread-guides with respect to their needles.

The foregoing and other features of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some preferred methods Figures 2 to 5, respectively, illustrate the successive steps in the action of knitting the wale thread to the front of the fabric, with the use of latch-needles.

Figures 6 to 9 illustrate, respectively, corresponding steps in the operation of knitting a wale thread to the back ofthe fabric,

Figures 10 and 11 correspond respectively to Figures 2 and 3, but with the use of bearded needles, I

Figures 12 and 13 correspond respectively to Figures 6 and 7 but with bearded needles, as shown in Figures 10 and 11,

Figures 14 to 21 illustrate, somewhat diagrammatically, altemative' forms of mechanism for controlling the action of the thread-guides. In each figure, a single threaded-guide is shown in its relation to the appropriate selecting and actuating mechanism, and each figure may be taken as showing the parts lying substantially in a plane containing the axis of the needlecylinder,

Figures 22 and 23 illustratediagrammatically in cross-section the action of the thread-guide deflectors, and

Figure 24 illustrates .a modified form of fabric, included within the present invention.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring first of all to Figures 2 to The feeding of the body or ground thread to the needles successively and needle operation by a stitch cam can be assumed to be as usual. The first figure shows a wale thread I being fed to the hook of a needle 2 by a yam-feeder I which is always allocated to the same needle 2. Figure 3 illustrates the next step in which the ground-thread 4 has also Just been fed to the hook, and the latch of the needle 2 in question is commencing to close by pressure against a previously formed loop 5. Figure 4 shows the complete drawing of the new loop through the old loop 5, and Figure 5 shows the position of the threads after the old loop has been knocked over. The wale thread thus knitted is brought to the front of the fabric, as indicated in the loops 6, 1, and I of Figure 'l, which shows the fabric as viewed from the back.

Figures 6 to 9 show respectively similar steps in operation to those illustrated in Figures2 to 5,

but in this case the wale thread I is wrapped round the needle below the latch. This results in the wale thread'being thrown to the back of the fabric, as shown in connection with loops 9 and III of Figure 1, but it will be seenthat whether the wale thread is brought to the front or the back of the fabric it is interlinked with the ground-thread loops on either side so that no loose threads occur.

Figures 10 and 11 illustrate similar steps re- 5 spectively'to those shown in Figures 2 and 3. and Figures 12 and 13 are relatively similar to Figures 6- and 7. In this example, however, bearded needles 2' are employed and presserbars II, or their equivalent, are employed to 10 close the beards so as to retain any thread taken by them. The drawing of the loops .will be similar respectively to those shown in Figures 4 and 5, or Figures 8 and 9, and the appearance of the fabric will be identical with that 1:,

illustratedin Figure 1. p v

In. Figure 14 one example of mechanism for carrying out the present invention is illustrated,

and briefly, may be described as followsz-A thread-guide l isvertically movable to one of two alternative heights relatively to the needle -2 so as to feed the yarn either above or below the latch (or beard). The height adjustment of the thread-guide is producedthroughthe agency of jacquard-strings 20 leading to any preferred form 2.1 of jacquard device, whereby the thread-guides 3 are selected for raising to a height equivalent to that required for feeding the'wale thread into the hook. i. e., onto or abovethe latch. After the thread-guides have been selected and have so fed their threads to their respective needles, those which have been raised so as to-feed-the wale thread into the latch are pressed down again ready for the next selection by a treading-down ring 2i, which may be of segmental form so as as to act on groups of the thread-guides in succession after they have completed their feeding action.- It is assumed that the needle-cylinder and the thread-guides are stationary in the example illustrated, and an out-throw-cam 22 revoiving and in synchronism with the cam-box serves successively to press out the thread-guides to pass the thread from the back to the front of the needle. In so doing, a projection 23 on'the thread-guide engages with a deflector 24 so as to 5 pass on one side thereof to the position illus-, trated in chain lines. The return movement is eflected by a revolving return cam 25 and as the thread-guide moves backwardly to complete the wrapping of the thread round the needle the projection 23 passes in engagement with the'other side' of the deflector 2|, and thus causes the thread-guide to return on the opposite side of the needle to that in which it advanced to the front of the needle. For this purpose the-edges of the deflector 24 may be offset as shown in Figure 22 or, alternatively, as shown in Figure 23, the edges of the projection 23 may be oflset in order to aflord the necessary camming and guiding action to cause the thread-guide in its outward move- 0 ment to pass round one side of the deflector 24 and on its inward movement to pass round the opposite side thereof. The projections 24 are preferably formed separately from one another and are retainedby means of a ring 26 that is held firmly to a rigid part 21 of the frame of the machine. The out throw-cam 22 revolves with a ring 28 and has a pin 29 which normally, by travelling in aconcentric groove 30a, holds cam 22 in an operative position. When desired, however, it 7 may be switched into the inner groove 30, in which position the cam 22 is held in an inoperative position.

The entire patterning-head may be mounted on a central spindle 3| on which it may be raised and lowered so as to bring all the thread-guides into and outfrom their relative feeding position with respect to the needles at any time that it may be desirable to make such movements.

In Figure 15, a modification of the invention is illustrated in which each thread-guide 3a is supported by means of a spring-hook 32 engaged in a fixed support 33 in such a manner as to permit vertical movements of the thread-guide. The

spring-hook 32 normally holds the thread-guidepressed inwardly, and an outthrow-cam 22 is employed, as before, to effect the feeding vmovements of the thread-guides. the thread-guides a revolving traversing-cam 34 is employed having on it a cam-surface which will press the thread-guide down to the position shown in dotted lines, when it engages with a projection, such as 35, extending upwardly from an inwardly directed arm 36 of the thread-guide 3a. In the example shown, the thread-guide is provided with a complete set of projections 35, but for the production of the desired pattern other thread-guides will have some of these projections removed. Thus, in a manner well understood, as the cam 34 is traversed course by course, over the projections 35 seriatim, those thread-guides in which no such projection occurs at any one course will not be depressed, and the threads of such guides will be fed to the hooks of the needles. Oh those thread-guides, however, which are depressed, the threads will be fed below the hooks. It will be understood that throughout the specification, where reference is made to feeding above or below the hooks it is to be understood also as referring to the feeding of the thread into or clear of the beards or bearded needles 2'. In Figure 16 the construction is intended to be similar to that of Figure 15, with the exception that the arm 36 formed integral with the thread-guide 3a is now replaced by a swinging jack 31,- each of which jacks is pivotally mounted at 38 and has a forked connection at 39 with a projection from the thread-guide 3b. Also the out-throw cam 22b engages more directly with the body of the thread-guide. Otherwise, the operation of the mechanism is similar to that described in connection with Figure 15. In Figure 1'7, instead of the jack 31, another type of jack 40 is employed, which is pivotally connected, at 4 I, to the threadguide 30 and has a vertical portion on which the projections 35 are formed. The jacks in this case are pivotally mounted at 42.

The construction illustrated in Figure 18 is similar in its essentials to that according to Figure 16, with the exception that there isa pivotal connection at 33, between the swingin lack 31a and the thread-guide 3d, instead of the forked connection previously described.

A resetting cam I34 in Figures 15'and 1'? serves to return the thread-guides, after selection, in

readiness for the next selection; whereas in Fig-- ures 16 and 18 springs I35 serve a similar purpose.

In Figure 19, the selection of the thread-guides 3 is effected by jacquard means in a manner similar to that of Figure 14, but, instead of the jacquard-strings 20 being directly connected with the thread-guides 3e they are connected with intermediate linkage 43,44, of which the extremity of the link 43 is engaged with the thread-guide. A projection 45 from the latter enters a slot in a swinging guide 46, which is pivoted at 41. The

movements of the thread-guide are effected by an outthrow-cam 22c, and a treading-down cam 2 le, as described in connection with Figure 14.

The construction according to Figure 20 differs In order to select thread-guide 3f. 6

Figure 21 illustrates an example in which the thread-guide selection is effected by a well-known jacquard selector mechansm. Briefly, this mechanism comprises a grooved platen 50, a pattern or jacquard-band 5|, and selectors .52, having 10 pins 53 which can pass through perforations in the band 5| to enter the grooves in the platen 50. The outer end of the selector has a notch which is engaged by a liftingand return-cam 54, and when a selector has been projected for- 15 wardly, it will pass, as shown in dotted lines, beneath a projection 55 on a thread-guide 3a. The liftingand return-cam 54 will then raise the thread-guide through the intermediary of the selector 52 and an outthrow-cam 229 is em- 20 ployed, as in the previous examples, for causing the thread-guide to wrap its thread round the needle. The thread-guide is hinged at 56 to a swinging link 51 pivotally mounted at 58 in a fixed part of the mechanism, and a cam I22, is 25 provided to effect the return movement of the thread-guide.

It will be further understood that throughout the specification and claims where the absence of loose threads is mentioned, this is to apply 30 only over those areas in which the wale threads are intended to be knitted into the fabric to produce a pattern. In other words, where a section of non-patterned fabric is to be produced in continuation of a patterned section, lengthwise of 35 the fabric, the wale threads may be allowed to float loosely at the back of these non-patterned sections as indicated in Fig. 24 for example, until they are taken up again into the knitting for the production of another patterned area, or 40 until the knitting of the plain or non-patterned section is otherwise completed. Similarly also, patterning by the present invention may be applied to sections only of the fabric considered angularly around the cylinder.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific'constructions herein described and illustrated, except as appears hereinafter in the claims.

We claim:-- r

l. The method of operating a knitting machine having a plurality of needles, which consists, in individual courses, in first feeding a ground thread to successive needles and wrapping a wale thread around one of said needles, and then, in some of said courses, knocking over both the previously formed loops on said needles and the newly-made wrapping of the wale thread on said one of the needles, and, in other of said courses, knocking over only the previously formed loops on said needles.

2. In a knitting machine having a bank of needles, means to feed ground thread to said needles successively in the knitting of successive individual rows of stitches, and means to cast-01f the ground thread loops to complete the individual rows of ground thread stitches, means to feed a plurality of wale-threads to needles of said bank and wrap the same around said needles for casting-off by said cast-off means, and means to so dispose each of said wale-thread wrappings on their individual needles that sometimes the re spective wale-thread wrapping is cast-off its needle by the next succeeding operation of said cast-01f means at the respective needle and at other times is, taken into the needle book along,

with the newly laid ground thread at said next succeeding operation of said cast-off means and thereby drawn into a loop along with the newly laid ground thread.

3. In a knitting machine having a bank of needles, means to feed' ground thread to said for casting-off by said cast-off means, and means to relatively adjust the last mentioned means and the needles to which said Wale-threads are fed, one with respect to. the other, to determine whether the respective Wale-thread wrappings shall be cast-off by the next succeeding operation of said cast-ofl means or shall be taken into the needle hook along with the newly laid ground thread at said next succeeding operation of said cast-off means and be drawn into a loop along with the newly laid ground thread.

4. In a knitting machine having abank of needles, means to feed ground thread to said needles successively, and means to cast-on the ground thread loops to complete the individual rows of ground thread stitches, a plurality of Wale-thread guides to wrap Wale-threads around substantially individual needles of said bank for casting-off by said cast-off means, and means to adjust substantially individual Wale-thread guides and the respectively corresponding needles, one with respect to the other, to determine whether the respective Wale-thread wrappings shall be cast-oil. by the next succeeding operation of said cast-off means or shall be taken into the needle hooks along with the newly laid ground thread at said next succeeding operation of said cast-oil means and be drawninto loops along with the newly laid ground thread.

, 5. In a knitting machine having a bank of needles, means to feed ground thread to said needles successively, and means to cast-off the ground thread loops to complete the individual rows of ground thread stitches, a plurality of Wale-thread guides to wrap Wale-threads around substantially individual needles of said bank for casting-oi! by said cast-off means, and means to adjust substantially individual wale-thread guides relative to their respectively corresponding needles to determine whether the respective wale-thread wrappings shall be cast-off by the next succeeding operation of said cast-off means or shall be taken into the needle hooks along with the newly laid ground thread at said next succeeding operation of said cast-0K means and be drawn into loops along with the newly laid ground thread. I

6. In a' knitting machine having a bank of needles, means for feeding ground thread thereto to enter the needle hooks, and means to cast-oi! the ground thread loops to complete the individual rows of ground thread stitches, a plurality of wale-thread-feeders movable to wrap their re spective Wale-threads round needles for castingoil by said cast-oil means, and also movable generally lengthwise of the needles-to place their Wale-threads on the needles either so far from the'hook ends of the respective needles that the respective Wale-threads pass off the needles, without entering the hooks, at the next succeeding operation of said cast-oil means, or so close to the hook ends that the respective Wale-threads lie within the hooks of the respective needles, along aoiaies i l with the newly an ground thread. at said next succeeding operation of said cast-oi: means.

7. In a knitting machine having a bank of needies, means for feeding ground thread thereto to enter the needle hooks, and means to cast-off the a ground thread loops-to complete the individual rows of ground thread stitches, a plurality of wale-thread-feeders movable to wrap their respective wale-threads round needles for castingofl by said cast-oi! means, and also movable gen- 10 erally lengthwise of the needlesto place their wale-threads on the needles either so far from the hook ends of the respective needles that the respective Wale-threads pass oil! the needles, without entering the hooks, at the next succeeding l5 operation of said cast-oil means, or so close'to the hook ends that the respective Wale-threads lie within the hooks of the respective needles, along with the newly laid ground thread, at said next succeeding operation of said cast-off means, 20 and means for moving said Wale-thread feeders to wrap their wale-threads round their needles and for selectively moving the said feeders lengthwise of the needles.

8. In a knitting machine having a bank of latch 25 needles, means for feeding a ground-thread thereto to enter the needle hooks, and means for retracting the needles to cast-oi! positions, a plurality oi wale-thread feeders, means to project said needles to positions where the previously 30 drawn loops lie behind the needle latches, means to move said Wale-thread feeders to wrap their Wale-threads round needles projected by said projecting means, the operation of said means for moving Wale-thread feeders being so timed and 35 the respective feeders then being in 'such position in cooperation with said needle projecting means that the Wale-threads wrappings then placed on needles are disposed behind the needle latches, and means for moving said Wale-thread feeders 40 generally lengthwise of the respective needles and for completing the wrapping of the respective Wale-threads round the needles when said feeders are so moved, the positions of the respective walethread feeders when so respect to the needles that the Wale-thread wrappings then placed on the needles are disposed within the needle latches so as to enter theneedle hooks when next retracted to cast-off positions.

9. The method of knitting wherein a Wale- 50 thread is placed on a latch needles or needles along with a ground-thread, which consists, in some courses, in disposing a wrapping of the Wale-thread round a needle so close to the hook of the latter that said thread lies within thenee- 55 die latch when said needle stands at its furthestprojected position and thereby is taken into the needle hook when the needle is retracted, and

in other courses disposing a wrapping of the said wale-thread round a needle so far from the needle hook that said Wale-thread lies behind the needle latch when the needle stands atv ,its furthestproiected position, and also, in each of said courses, feeding a ground thread to'said needle or needles in such a position that the'ground B5 thread is taken into the needle hook when-the said needle or needlesare retracted, and, in each of said courses, and after both wale and ground threads have been supplied to the needle, re-

tracting the said needle to the cast-on position. 70 e mote from the hook end of they needle that said'fif moved being such with 45 wale-thread wrapping is cast-oil over-the needle,

without entering its hook, when said needle is next retracted to cast-oil position, and in other courses disposing a wrapping of the same walethread round a needle at a point thereon closer to the hook end and so close to the hook end that the said other wale-thread wrapping enters the hook when the said needle is retracted to castof! positions, and also, in each of said courses, feeding the ground thread to said needle or needles to enter the hooks thereof, and in each of said courses, and after both waleand ground threads have been supplied to the needle, retracting the needle to the cast-oil position.

11. For the production of knitted articles on a circular knitting machine wherein patterns are knitted by means of wale-threads supplied to' the needles each by an independent thread-guide, a method which consists in knitting wale threads into the fabric on each course by passing each such wale-thread into the hook in some courses and around the needle without entering the hook in other courses so that loose wale threads are avoided whether they appear at the front or at the back of the fabric.

12. Patterning mechanism for circular knitting machines and comprising in combination a plurality of thread-guides for feeding vertically disposed wale threads, one guide for each such wale thread, thread-guide actuating means which on every course moves each thread-guide through a complete feeding movement and by such movement wraps the thread round the needle, and selecting means for relatively adjusting the thread-guides and their appropriate needles to one of two alternative positions lengthwise of the needles to determine whether the wale thread is to be laid into the hook of the needle or around the needle without entering the hook.

13. Patterning mechanism for circular knitting machines and comprising in combination a plurality of thread-guides for feeding vertically disposed wale threads, one guide for each such wale thread, thread-guide actuating means which on every course moves each thread-guide through a complete feeding movement and by such move ment wraps the thread round the needle, a jack associated with each thread-guide and jacquardactuated selecting means operable on the jacks for selecting the thread-guides and for adjusting them relatively to their appropriate needles to one of two alternative positions lengthwise of the needles to determine whether the wale thread is to be laid into the hook of the needle or around the needle without entering the hook.

14. Patterning mechanism for circular knitting machines and comprising in combination a plurality of thread-guides for feeding vertically disposed wale-threads, one guide for each such walethread, selecting means for relatively adjusting the thread-guides and their appropriate needles to one of two alternative positions lengthwise of the needles to determine whether the'wale-thread is to be laid into the hook of the needle or around the needle without entering the hook, and thread actuating means comprising a single out-throwcam and a return device by which on every course each thread-guide is moved through a complete feeding movement by which it is caused to wrap the thread round the needle.

15. Patterning mechanism for circular knitting machines and comprising in combination a plurality of thread-guides for knitting vertically disposed wale-threads, one guide for each such wale-thread, a lack associated with each threadguide, jacquard-actuated selecting means operable on the jacks for selecting the thread-guides and to adjust them relatively to their appropriate needles to one of two alternative positions lengthwise of the needles to determine whether the wale thread is to be laid into the hook of the needle or around the needle without entering the hook,

and thread-guide actuating means comprising a single out-throw-cam and a return device by which on every course each thread-guide is moved through a complete feeding movement to wrap the thread around the needle.

16. Patterning mechanism for circular knitting maclnnes and comprising in combination a pinrality of thread-guides for feeding vertically disposed wale-threads, one guide for each such walethread, a plurality of jacquard-selectors one associated with each thread-guide, a jacquard-band for actuating said selectors to adjust the threadguides relatively to their appropriate needles to one of two alternative positions lengthwise of the needle, to determine whether the wale-thread is to be laid into the hook of the needle or around the needle without entering the hook, and threadguide actuating means which on every course moves each thread-guide through a complete feeding movement and by such movement wraps the thread around the needles.

17. Patterning mechanism for circular knitting machines and comprising in combination a plurality of thread-guides for feeding vertically disposed wale-threads, one guide for each such wale-thread, a plurality of jacquard-selectors, one associated with each thread-guide, a jacquard-band for actuating said selectors to adjust the thread-guides relatively to their appropriate needles to one of two alternative positions lengthwise of the needle, to determine whether the wale-thread is to be laid into the hook of the needle or around the needle without entering the hook, and thread-guide actuating means comprising an out-throw-cam "operable on all the thread-guides and a return device whereby on every course each thread-guide will be moved through a complete feeding movement and by such movement will wrap its thread around the needle.

18. Patterning mechanism for circular knitting machines and comprising in combination a plurality of thread-guides for feeding vertically disposed wale-tln'eads one guide for each such wale-thread, thread-guide actuating means comprising an out-throw-cam operable on all the thread-guides, a return-cam operable on the guides to return them after they have been moved outwardly, whereby on every course each threadguide is moved through a complete feeding movement and by such movement will wrap its thread round its associated needle, a plurality of jacquard-selectors, one for each thread-guide, perforated jacquard-bands for actuating said selectors, a grooved platen supporting said jacquardband, pins on said selectors to engage the perforations in the jacquard-band, said selectors being endwise movable by engagement of the pins with the platen when they have passed through perforations in the jacquard-band whereby the selectors are engaged with the thread-guides to move them from a position in which they will lay their thread round the needle without entering the hook to a position in which they will lay the thread into the hook of the needle.

19. Patterning mechanism for circular knitting machines employing latch-needles and comprising in combination a plurality of thread-guides m feeding vertically disposed embroidery guides and their mm needles to one or threads, one guide for each such wale thread, two alternative 1 positions lengthwise of the thread-guide actuating means which on every needles to determine whether the wale thread is course moves each thread-guide through a comto be laid into the hook 01' the needle or around 5 plete feeding movement and by such movement the needle below the opened latch thereof.

wraps the thread round the needle, and select- EDWIN WILD'I'. ing means for relatively adjusting the thread- HENRYHAROID HOLMES. 

